Alienation and the Internet
Will Baker
1. The Internet provides an amazing forum for the free exchange of ideas. Given the relatively few restrictions governing access and usage，it is the communications modal equivalent of international waters.1 It is my personal belief that the human potential can only be realized by the globalization of ideas. I developed this position2 years before the Internet came into wide spread use. And I am excited at the potential for the Internet to dramatically alter our global society for the better. However I am also troubled by the possible unintended negative consequences.
2. There has been much talk about the“new information age.”But much less widely reported has been the notion that the Internet may be responsible for furthering the fragmentation of society by alienating its individual users.3 At first this might sound like an apparent contradiction：how can something，that is on the one hand responsible for global unification by enabling the free exchange of ideas，alienate the participants？ 3. I had a recent discussion with a friend of mine who has what he described as a“problem”with the Internet. When I questioned him further he said that he was“addicted，”4 and has“forced”himself to go off-line. He said that he felt like an alcoholic，in that moderate use of the Internet was just not possible for him.5 I have not known this fellow to be given to exaggeration，therefore when he described his internet binges，6 when he would spend over twenty-four hours on line non-stop，it gave me pause to think. He said，“the Internet isn‘t real，but I was spending all my time on line，so I just had to stop.”He went on to say that all of the time that he spent on line might have skewed7 his sense of reality，and that it made him feel lonely and depressed. 4.
The fragmentation of society has been lamented for some time now. It seems to me that it probably began in earnest after World War II when a generation returned from doing great deeds overseas. They won the war，and by God they were going to win the peace.
Automobile
ownership
became
commonplace
and
suburbs
were
created.“Progress”was their mantra.8 So even prior to the Internet‘s widespread popularity，folks were already becoming distanced from their extended families and neighbors. And when we fast-forward to today we see an almost cruel irony in that people can and often do develop on-line relationships with folks on the other side of the globe，without leaving their homes. But at the expense of the time that would have
otherwise been available for involvement in other activities which might foster a sense of community in their villages，towns and cities.
5. Last weekend my wife and I invited our extended family to our home to celebrate our daughter‘s birthday. During the celebration my young nephew spent the entire time on my computer playing a simulated war game. My brother-in-law and I were chatting nearby and it struck us that in generations past，his son，my nephew，would have been outside playing with his friends. But now the little fellow goes on line to play his games against his friends in cyberspace.
6. It seems to me that the Internet is a powerful tool that presents an opportunity for the advancement of the acquisition and application of knowledge. However，based on my personal experience I can understand how，as they surf the web some folks might be confronted with cognitive overload.9 And I can also understand how one might have his or her sense of reality distorted in the process. Is the Internet a real place？Depending upon how a“real place”is defined it might very well be. At the very least，I believe that when we use the Internet，we are forced to ask fundamental questions about how we perceive the world about us—perhaps another unintended consequence. Some would argue that the virtual existences created by some users who debate，shop，travel and have romance on line are in fact not real. While others would argue that，since in practical terms，folks are debating，shopping，travelling and having romance，the converse is true.
7. All of this being said，I believe that the key to realizing the potential of the Internet is in achieving balance in our lives. This would allow us to maximize its potential without losing our sense of place.10 However like most things that is easier said than done. It seems to me that we are a society that values immediate gratification above all else，and what better place to achieve it than in cyberspace，where the cyber-world is your cyber- oyster.11 The widespread use of the automobile forever changed our society and culture，and perhaps a similar sort of thing is occurring now. I am not at all certain where the“information superhighway”will lead us：some say to Utopia，12 while others feel it‘s the road to hell. But I do know that we all have the ability to maintain our sense of place in the world. Whether we choose to take advantage of this ability is another matter.
因特网与人际之疏远
威尔·贝克
1
因特网为思想的自由交流提供了一个非凡的平台。由于登录和使用互联网的限制相对
较少，它的作用就等同于通讯传播中的公海。我个人认为人类潜能只有通过思想的全球化
才能实现。在因特网广为应用之前许多年我就有了这样的立场。我为因特网给全球社会的 更好发展带来的巨大变化振奋不已。然而，我也为预料之外的负面后果感到困扰。 2
关于“新的信息时代”人们谈论得很多。但是，互联网使网民之间彼此疏远，从而导致
社会的进一步土崩瓦解，对这方面的报道却少得多。乍听起来这似乎相互矛盾：一种东西 怎么会既能让人们自由地交流思想，从而使全球融为一体，同时又让参与者彼此疏远呢？ 3
我一位朋友自称使用因特网出了“问题”，最近我和他讨论了这个问题。我进一步追问
时他说他有“网瘾”，经常得“强制”自己离线下网。他觉得自己像个酒鬼，因为他就是无法 有节制地上网。据我所知，此人不喜欢夸大其词，因此当他描述自己的网瘾，说常常连续 泡网一天一夜时，这引起了我的思考。他说：“网络世界不是真实的，但我还偏偏把自己所 有时间花在网络上，所以我不得不悬崖勒马。”他接着说他在网上花的那么多时间使他扭曲 了现实感，让他觉得孤单压抑，郁郁寡欢。 4
大家哀叹社会的四分五裂由来已久。在我看来，这种分裂真正始于第二次世界大战结
束后，当时一代人在海外完成宏伟事业之后荣归故里。他们打赢了战争，面对上帝，他们 还要赢得和平。小汽车变得普及，人们建起了郊区。“进步”是时常挂在他们嘴边的口号。于 是甚至早于因特网大行其道之时，人们早就疏远了大家庭的其他成员和左邻右舍。我们把 场景快进到今天，见到的情景几乎可以说是残酷的讽刺：人们足不出户就经常能和远在地 球另一端的人建立网络关系，但这样做的代价是：他们花掉了很多时间，而这些时间本来 可以在他们自己的村子和城镇里投身于各项活动，从而培养社区观念。 5
上周末我们夫妻邀请大家庭的其他成员来家里庆祝我女儿的生日。整个庆祝过程中，
小外甥把全部时间都花在我电脑上玩一个模拟战争的游戏。我和妹夫就坐在边上聊天。我 们都认识到，要是像几代前的先辈那样，他儿子，也就是我外甥，一定在外头和朋友玩耍。 但如今这小家伙不在外头玩，而是上网和虚拟空间的朋友玩游戏。 6
对我来说，因特网似乎是个强大的工具，它给人们提供一个不断获取和应用知识的机
会。然而，通过我自己的亲身经历，我能够理解当某些人上网的时候，是如何面临认知超 载的。我也同样明白一个人的现实感在上网过程中如何被扭曲。网络空间是真实的吗？按 照界定“真实处所”的定义，网络空间很可能是真实的。退一万步说，我相信上网时，我们 会被迫拷问自己一些基本问题，比如我们如何感知周围的世界——或许这是另一个预料之 外的后果。有人或许会说，用户在网上唇枪舌剑、购物旅游、谈情说爱的虚拟存在并不真 实；而另一些人主张说，按实际的说法，人们确实在网上唇枪舌剑、购物旅游、谈情说爱， 那么网络世界就应该是真实的。 7
说了这么多，我认为发挥因特网潜能的关键在于在生活中取得平衡。这能使我们最大
程度地挖掘网络潜能而不迷失自己。然而，就像大多数事理那样，说易行难。在我看来， 我们这个社会似乎最崇尚及时行乐，要实现这一点，还有比网络空间更好的场所吗？在网 络上你可以想干什么就干什么。汽车的广泛使用永远改变了我们的社会和文化，类似的事 情现在也在发生。我压根不确定“信息高速公路”将会把我们引向何方：有人说它会把我们
带入乌托邦，而另一些人觉得它是通往地狱之路。但我确信我们都有能力保持我们在世界 上的方位感。但是我们能否选择利用这种能力却是另外一回事。
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